Thomas Erpingham

Thomas Erpingham (1355-1428) was an English knight who commanded Henry V's longbowmen at the Battle of Agincourt.

Biography
Thomas Erpingham had a 50-year military career, fighting against France during the Hundred Years' War, in Spain, in Scotland, in Prussia, and in the Levant. In 1368, he served under Edward the Black Prince in Aquitaine, and he joined John of Gaunt's service in 1480 as an esquire. He accompanied John's son Henry Bolingbroke on crusade to Lithuania to fight with the Teutonic Order, and he accompanied him into exile in 1398. He ambushed King Richard II of England in Wales in 1399, taking him to the Tower of London and accepting his resignation as king. In 1399, he became Chamberlain of the Royal Household, as well as Constable of Dover Castle and Warden of the Cinque Ports. In 1401, he was made a Knight of the Garter, and later of the Privy Council. In 1415, he took part in King Henry V of England's campaign in France, commanding his longbowmen at the Battle of Agincourt. For a while, he supported John Wycliffe's heretical campaign, and he died in 1428.